A Better RV Extension Cord

I am interrupting the series, "It Isn't All Peaches and Cream" once again for an article that is more timely and of use to all who own a Roadtrek or an RV. I have written before about my RV extension cord. It is a 30 amp, 10 gauge M/F extension cord that is 30 feet long that I use when my Roadtrek's power cord is not long enough to reach the power pedestal or my outdoor 20 amp house outlet at home. We have rarely needed it at a campground but we do need it at home and that is where it gets monthly use.

 

This winter with temperatures incredibly colder than we have had in this area in many, many years we found a big problem with our RV extension cord.  There is a lip around the socket - made to securely hold the plug in place, I suppose, or to keep moisture out of the connection, but that lip combined with our Plug Dog handle on  both the extension cord socket and the Roadtrek power cord plug in the cold was not seating together properly. This was causing all types of problems including the connection coming apart or when pressured together to stay connected, almost impossible to pull apart in the frigid cold - even with the Plug Dogs. This extension cord socket has always been a tight connection.

After one cold night of panic trying to pull these apart standing in the cold and ice, I decided that I had to get a better extension cord. I have seen RV extension cords with built on handles in RV stores and in Camping World. Of course, snowed in we were not going anywhere near one of those soon. I started searching the internet for anywhere close that had it or if I was available site to store from the Walmart website. I like shopping on the Walmart website with their site to store service. They sell things that are not found in the Walmart stores and they ship for free to any Walmart store that you select. Even better is that you can return the item to any Walmart store for a full refund.

At first my search on the Walmart website was not coming up with anything other than the cord that I already have. A general Google search brought up the cord that I was looking for with a link to the Walmart website. Apparently, RV extension cord was not bringing it up on their site- it needed to include the manufacturer's name - Camco. There was the cord that I felt should be better. It has a large plug and socket and both have solid handles that are part of the plug and socket.

This is a 30 amp, M/F 10 Gauge RV Extension Cord. The cord matches the power cord on the Roadtrek - same gauge. The cord is five feet less than my original cord and is 25 feet long. Twenty five feet is plenty. The name is Camco Power Grip Extension Cord 30 amp Model 30-30 RV. As you can see this cord's socket base is flat - no Plug Dog is needed on the socket side of the connection as there is the nice BIG yellow pull handle. The Plug Dog on the Roadtrek power cord plug allows the two flat surfaces to attach properly. The price is less than the original RV extension cord that I have. This cord costs only $36.21 - free shipping site to store. My old cord costs $50.

It took ten days to ship and it arrived on the date promised. All I had to do was go to the store's Site to Store desk and pick it up.

Now, I have a better RV extension cord for my Roadtrek. This cord comes also in 50 amp for larger RVs. There is also a 50 foot length 30 amp cord with the same large handled plug and socket that sells for $64.38 if one needed a cord that long.

No matter which RV extension cord that you use, if it is cold outside, the cord will be stiff - as will the Roadtrek power cord. It will not unroll easily nor will it roll back up easily. I now keep the extension cord in the house where it stays warm until it is needed and after use in the cold it can warm up to roll it back up. We only put it in the Roadtrek if we are uncertain about the distance to the pedestal at the campground - and when we have carried it "just in case" we have not needed it. IF you are planning on staying at a friend or family's house when traveling take this cord with you. Outdoor outlets are not always conveniently placed to driveways. Combine this cord with a good 15/20 amp plug to 30 amp socket adapter and you can plug in safely. 

I am not sure what I will do with the old cord. One thought that I had was to cut away or grind away the lip on the socket. The plug and socket on that cord are lighted - nice if you want to know that it is plugged into power, but not really necessary. I am not sure if removing that lip will interfere with any wiring. Another thought is to purchase the same handled socket that is on the new cord, cutting the socket off of the old cord, and install the new socket on the old cord. I have seen that socket at RV parts stores. That is something to consider when it is warm again. Will it ever be warm again? Remind me that I asked that when it is 100 dF on July Fourth!

Now, just one word about RV extension cords because I have heard before to just use any household heavy duty 15/20 amp extension cord. I have also read and heard about the fires that have started when those cords get hot because they are overloaded. It was recommended to me and I recommend to you - if you need to use an extension cord on your Roadtrek or RV always match the gauge of the extension cord to the gauge of the power cord on the RV. For $36 why would anyone take a chance?

FIELD TEST -

I fit all of the connections - using the old extension cord plug as a stand in for the Roadtrek power cord plug - inside before going out into the cold with the whole thing just to make sure things fit and came apart easily. The 15/20 amp adapter pulled off the extension cord plug easily easily. The extension cord socket was not as easy and it took holding on to the socket's handle and giving a sharp, quick tug on the Plug Dog handle to get them separated.

We had to plug into the house to charge the batteries and we were lucky enough to have a dry 38 dF day. (Imagine being lucky to have a 38 dF day!) I plugged the plug of the extension cord into my dog bone 30 amp female to 15/20 amp male adapter and plugged the adapter into the outlet inside our very small, screened porch and ran the extension cord out the aluminum screen door and down to the Roadtrek. The Roadtrek power cord plug got one of the Plug Dog handles and plugged that into the extension cord power grip handle socket. They went together easily. Because there was a lot of ice on the ground toward the front of the van that if it melted would come down into the connection I used Velcro straps to hang the connection from the frame of the Roadtrek's little door that covers the power and city water connection.

The connection worked well and the Roadtrek batteries showed that they were charging on the monitor panel. I checked that there was power in one of the Roadtrek's inside outlets and all was well. The Roadtrek remained plugged in for its usual charging time of 12 hours.When we went out the temperature was 27 dF. The Roadtrek plug and power grip extension cord socket came apart with a sharp pull much easier than the plug and old extension cord socket ever did in the cold. The cord came into the house to be kept warm and manageable for the next time it is needed. Maybe by the end of March the temperatures will be much better! I certainly hope so!

It Isn't All Peaches and Cream Part 4

It seems that through 2014 and now into 2015 here in the Northeast the weather has been the major factor in just about everything. Right now we have had week after week of snow and ice storms, multiples each week, and now recording breaking cold for this area with no sign that things will change anytime soon despite Spring being just weeks away. This past summer's rain has continued its pattern now with snow. Well, the Roadtrek is on the driveway and gets covered with snow and then it melts, only to be covered with snow again. Well, that is for another article but for now, we will go back in time to the end of July 2014.

We have an annual reenacting-related event that we attend during the last full weekend in July in Pennsylvania not far from Allentown - Dixon's Gunmaker's Fair. This is an outdoor event that I wrote about in 2013. Since it is an outdoor event the weather - once again - is significant to going or not. We attend for one day and combine this trip with a trip over to Hershey, PA where there is an annual quilt exposition held this same week. We plan to arrive in Pennsylvania on Thursday, go to the quilt snow on Friday, and then go to Dixon's on Saturday - home Saturday night. We meet some of the other members of our Revolutionary War reenacting unit at Dixon's. Weather reports, of course, for those days was dismal. I watched the forecasts and waited before making a reservation at the campground that is close to Dixon's. The afternoon before the event we finally called and made a reservation.

It was decent the day that we left - it had been raining in Pennsylvania the day before. We arrived at the campground (Pine Hill RV Park in Kutztown, PA) and went into the office for our space. This is a family owned and operated campground and we were greeted by the mother of the lady who is the owner. For some reason she seemed to think that we needed a space close to the restrooms - perhaps assuming that our Roadtrek had none of its own, though I don't know why as we were taking a site with full hookups, and she decided to give us one of the sites in the front of the campground near the office. When we were here last, we were in a site halfway into the campground and the site  was very good. We drove over to the site that we were just assigned and I saw quickly that this side of the campground was on a hill leading down to the area that we had been before. The sites went along down that hill - and while they were near level front to back, they were not even close to level side to side. I spent a half hour trying every possible position in the site before I gave up and sent Meryl back to the office for another site. They are always surprised when you say a site is not level and you can't get level in it. My theory is that the van is not big enough to find the footprint for a large trailer of Class A to get level - plus those RVs often have auto-levelers - push a button and it mechanically levels. Meryl returned with another site number which was not much better, but I was able to get into a diagonal position that was near enough level to be comfortable. (I will say this again - we don't need to be level for our refrigerator as it is all electric (condenser) but I am very sensitive to being on an angle and I need to get the Roadtrek as close to level as I can to be able to be comfortable inside. This is my problem and while I have spoken with others that experience the same thing, it is not something that everyone cares about - but I do.) While we usually get into a campground and find out spot on the site and check out the electric connections in twenty minutes or so, this time we spent over an hour.  We like to go over to the Pennsylvania Cabela's store in the town of Hamburg that is about ten miles away when we come to this area and we finally were able to get in the Roadtrek and go - but not before we marked the exact spot on the campsite using the reflective markers that I made to sit on the gravel along side the tire positions. If you are going to stay at Pine Hill in Kutztown, request a site in the lower half of the campground the section furthest from the office.

Cabela's is always fun and if you are any place where there is a Cabela's store go. It is what is called a destination store - a store people travel to just to go to the store. It is an outdoor store with everything including a walk through aquarium with local game fish. They sell clothing for various outdoor activities, camping gear, fishing gear, a very large firearms department with a museum where the museum guns are for sale, museum-quality displays of game animals both from the US and around the world, a restaurant, and a shooting gallery with laser rifles. There is also an archery range. Many Cabela's allow overnight RV parking and have a free dump station and water available for RVs. This Cabela's varies as to whether it is allowed or not. There are apparently regulations in the area that say no, but many say that this Cabela's will allow it.  There are often RVs in the lot when we have been to the store. We had a fine time at Cabela's before heading off for dinner and then back to the campground.

The next day we went to the quilt show in Hershey, PA. and that was good. Nothing exciting to say about it - unless you like quilts. It has a large sales floor for quilting and sewing supplies and related tools and items, sewing and quilting machines, and fabrics. As we are both fiber artists and Meryl is an embroiderer we both enjoy this show as it is one of the better quilt shows. The exiting part of the day with the Roadtrek came after the quilt show.

Near Hershey, PA is the Hollywood Casino. It has been there for only several years. Before this trip, I decided that it might be nice to go to this casino - have dinner, etc. I had heard that there was no problem parking an RV here - especially a Roadtrek. Often these casinos have specific RV parking lots and I contacted the casino before the trip to find out about parking our Roadtrek. The main parking for the casino is an indoor parking garage and the Roadtrek is too tall to go inside. There are also surface parking lots.  I explained in my email to the casino that the Roadtrek was no larger than a passenger van and that we can easily fit in a regular parking space. The reply that I got back was that the Roadtrek must be parked in a lot that they have for trucks and RVs and absolutely may not be parked in any other lot. I was to follow the signs on the road past the casino to this special lot. Fine. No problem - I thought.

So we leave the quilt show and drive over to the casino. As we approach the casino entrance on what is not much more than a country road, we see a sign that says "RV and Truck Parking - 1 mile" with an arrow straight ahead. We pass the casino driveway and keep going. As we come to the end of the road there is a sign pointing to the right and we turn right on that road and about 500 feet further ahead there is a small sign to the right again into a poorly paved road that becomes dirt, gravel, and broken pavement. We see ahead of us a small field filled completely with tractor trailer trucks parked just about wherever they decided to stop. The lot was small and there were pot holes and broken pavement where there wasn't just dirt. Along side there were maintenance buildings and no one at all in attendance or in sight. Could this be it? Yes, it was. We drove around the lot twice looking for a place to park the Roadtrek. There were no other RVs - odd, as this was Friday night in July. Other tractor trailers were pulling into the lot and also driving around looking for a place to park and with their size they pretty much make their own spaces. Now, there was one spot that we could have put the Roadtrek - in between the front of one truck on one side and the back of another on the other side. I could just see that one backing up to get out - it was just too close. I looked at the large regular parking lot that was not far away, but the casino in there message to me about parking was very direct - don't or you may be towed. We finally gave up and left. We just about made it to another restaurant that we know for dinner some distance away. Well, it's not all peaches and cream...  With a Roadtrek, Hollywood Casino in Pennsylvania is not for you. When we returned home, I wrote to the casino about what I found and what took place - I got no answer back so I guess they just don't care.

The next day was Dixon's and we headed over there before noon. Parking for Dixon's for this event is in a large grass field and it had been raining a few days before. The field was soft and that gave me some concern. There are a few places in the field with some gravel and what once was a partially paved road. I had hoped for a space on one of those more solid spots but we had no such luck and I hesitantly parked the Roadtrek on soft, partially muddy spot. I tried to position one of back tires on a bit of gravel just to give some traction when we were leaving. The Roadtrek is heavy - much heavier than a standard van and you never really want to get it into mud. It was fine.

So what about the noises. Well, where the pavement is smooth, the ride is smooth and the noises are almost non-existent. Where the pavement is rough or bumpy the noises are there and at this point were still not identifiable as to source. It was no worse, and no better. It is not until the next trip that we start to find one big one.

End of Part 4
Part 5 next.